An economical way to Cruze away

Historic Windermere House sits on Lake Rosseau in full cottage country.

PHOTO: Lisa Calvi, Postmedia News

Escape from the city in the summer heat is a key reason for destination, Cottage Country.

PHOTO: Lisa Calvi, Postmedia News

The Chevrolet Cruze proves a zippy vehicle to help escape into the country

By Lisa Calvi, Postmedia News

Originally published: July 6, 2011

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A skinny kid runs to the end of a dock, jumps high into the air and splashes into a still, shiny lake. A couple of lounging chairs sit at the end of the dock, perhaps a beer bottle perched on one of the arms. In my mind’s eye, this is “Cottage Country.”

Husband, Garry Sowerby, and I are cruising north from Toronto to one of Canada’s most iconic destinations, known affectionately as the Muskokas, a bit of a misnomer since there is only one Lake Muskoka. The other two principle lakes in the area are Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau. We are planning a road trip for a group in this paradise of fun roads, boating, fishing, swimming and relaxing glory.

Every city has its “Cottage Country.” The Romans headed for the hills to escape the heat of their seething metropolis. Residents of Istanbul take the main highway south to the coast town of Bodrum to live the high life. Vancouverites head to wine country in the Okanagan or over to the Gulf Islands. The Laurentians or the Eastern Townships draw Montréalais into the mountain and lake regions. Haligonians head to any number of lakes, the South Shore or the beaches of Northumberland Strait. Even a boat moored in some tiny fishing cove becomes a summer haven.

In the Muskokas, cottages surround the lakes, blend into the mix of evergreen and hardwood trees, and have sprung up, from the rustic to the resplendent, on the many islands that dot the waterways. Residents could be ‘lifers’ — those that live here all year round or that summer onslaught of city dwellers — to vacationers and visitors from all parts of Canada and America. Even some famous NHL hockey players and Hollywood stars have secured their little piece of woodsy paradise here.

Today is a cold, wet day and sadly, there is no dock, cottage or cold beer waiting for us at the end of our trek. But at least we have our ride. What better vehicle to do our route research in than one with best in-class fuel economy, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze?

What started as a sunny day in downtown Toronto has turned to haze as we head north in stop-and-go traffic. But doesn’t the frustrating traffic make the ‘ahhh’ of arriving at the cottage, the releasing hiss and crack of the beer cap, the song of the loon over the still lake that much more rewarding?

The classic cottage is just up this road, carved out of the Canadian Shield, one of the oldest rock formations on Earth. Inukshuk sculptures dot the rocky outcroppings, the journey as much a part of the weekend at the cottage as being there.

Even the name ‘Muskoka’ conjures up images of lounging in chairs (Muskoka chairs of course), fishing, the smell of barbecue and swatting mosquitoes, Ontario summer. Not much different than when the Algonquin and Huron tribes used the area.

Many people don’t move once they get to the cottage except to the local grocery store to re-stock the supplies but if I had a cottage in this coveted neck of woods, and a Chevy Cruze parked outside my rustic digs, I think I’d be out there exploring. The twists and turns are exhilarating on some of the smoothest roads in the country. There are well-kept driving secrets like the lonely road through the rocky outcroppings of Torrance Barrens, a Conservation Reserve that has the unique distinction of being designated the world’s first permanent Dark Sky Preserve.

Around every turn, there are adorable views of misty lakes, boathouses and even locks you can peer over and imagine where the interconnected waterways can take you. The real Canada complete with drive-by viewings of beaver dams. You can almost smell maple syrup in the air.

After gleefully throwing the Cruze through the deserted tight turns of Route 38 to Bala, our first stop is Annie’s Café and Deli, where the roast beef sandwich is tasty and the crisp homemade coleslaw should be served by the bucket.

We take the fun-to-drive Deebank Road to the Pub at Windermere House. If the old stone walls of the pub could talk, they would perhaps recount the night they survived the fire that burned the upper lodge to the ground during the filming of The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) and how, a mere year later, the lodge was lovingly rebuilt and reopened.

The concept of Cottage Country varies for everyone from location to landscape to level of rusticity. Three things sit high on my priority list for my personal Cottage Country, when new leaves unfurl, bird symphonies start up and the sun heats the earth: A true escape from everyday existence, something zippy and economical to explore in, like the sprightly and surprisingly refined Chevrolet Cruze, and, oh yes, I want to be that skinny kid jumping off the dock, making the first ripples of those halcyon days of summer.